The Patriots and Giants are closing in on their Sunday showdown. (AP)

Giants coach Tom Coughlin has made it known to football fans everywhere that despite numerous predictions of a New York victory, the Giants “are still the underdogs and we still have a lot to prove” heading into Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday.

“[It's] still us against the world,” Coughlin said.”

It’s all about reinvention for the Giants if they expect to defeat Tom Brady and the Pats in the Super Bowl for a second time. For four Giants in particular — Deon Grant, Rocky Bernard, Antrel Rolle and Tony Ugoh — the losing end of a Super Bowl is not an option this year. All four players, prior to playing for the Giants, were members of teams that were on the losing end in the NFL’s ultimate game.

“I don’t think people understand how draining, how much work it’s been, for us just to get to this point,” said Rolle, a safety who joined the Giants in 2010. “But we’re here and we’re using that as our mindset, that we won’t be denied after all that work. We’re not worried about destiny. We’ve made our own path.”

For Rolle especially, Sunday’s game holds a sense of promise and great significance in terms of personal motivation and potential gain. He experienced a tough loss as a member of the Cardinals against the Steelers three years ago.

“To be so close and have a hard-fought game, I think that actually eased the pain a little bit, as opposed to going out there and just getting your butt whooped,” Rolle said. “But I definitely don’t want to feel that again.”

The New York Daily News takes a look at how the Giants defense poses a major threat to New England’s offense.